"Where are we going, Nior-sama?" Kie asked as she and Nior walked along the forest path.
"Isn't this quite far away. If we don't head back soon, Tanjiro will be worried," she sounded a little worried.
Nior looked at his side and replied with a gentle smile, "Don't worry. I can carry you and return instantly. As for where we are going, that's a secret," he winked at her in the end.
Kie blushed a bit. The memory of being held by him is still fresh in her mind.
Snap!
Nior snapped his fingers, and a red shimmering barrier formed around Kie.
"Stay here."
Nior's voice sounded as his figure flickered and disappeared.
A little distance ahead, Nior appeared. Not wearing his casual black haori, but his black overcoat over a black shirt.
He looked ahead at the clear blue sky and said calmly, "You can come out, Sebas."
From nearby mist, Sebas' body formed, wearing his butler suit and white gloves. He gave a respectful bow.
"Congratulations, my lord, on activating the Sanctuary. This world will be in your hands very soon."
"We need to work on it further, Sebas. At this rate, it will take years to conquer this world. Anyway, report your findings."
"I have prepared a mansion befitting of you, my lord. Additionally, the locations of a doctor named Tamayo, who buys human blood, have also been confirmed. With Charm, I have prepared temporary servants who will assist us. We await your command to initiate further actions towards Tamayo and other demons."
"Well done. Don't interfere with the demons for now. You will oversee the expansion of Sactuary. I am going to make something out of the unique sword techniques of this world."
Sebas smiled a little at that, "Rest assured, my lord."
"I have been thinking of this Breathing Style for a while now. During duels against the two individuals practising this style, I have picked up quite a few things. Also, I asked the boy under my protection to show me his family dance, which is actually the original Breathing Style."
"As expected of you, my lord. You are making the most out of your journey and cleverly using the connections you have formed to your benefit," Sebas remarked at that, impressed again by Nior's sharp mind.
"Enough talk. Let's try it now. I have already formed my unique forms in mind."
Nior said as his sword materialised in his hands. Looking at the vast plains in front of him, he raised his hand and warriors made of soil came out of the ground.
These were simple constructs made of mud, fueled by mana. It was a marvellous feat impossible for an ordinary mage, but nothing for Vampires.
The constructs raised their heads and looked at Nior.
"Come, attack me," he commanded.
The Mud Soldiers' eyes shone blue, and they raised their weapons - spears, swords, axes - and ran towards him.
Sebas was already floating in the air, looking at the ground with every ounce of his focus. He was very curious about what his lord had created. It was related to swords, so he was looking forward to it even more.
Back on the ground, Nior took a deep breath.
Blood Breathing, First Form
In a moment, he appeared behind the first soldier. The soldier sliced cleanly in two.
Quick Slash.
Then, turning his head towards thousands of other soldiers, Nior stretched his body, and with an explosive force from his foot, he launched towards the nearest group.
Second Form: Blood Tide
Time seemed to slow down for Nior, and he delivered a continuous series of slashes towards the few dozen mud soldiers. In an instant, they were cleaved into multiple pieces.
Changing direction, he moved towards the adjacent end of the plains, using precise cuts on multiple parts of the body.
Third Form: Slaughter Rite
A massive soldier appeared in front of him. Nior swung his sword upwards, using the momentum.
Fourth Form: Rising Blood
The giant soldier was cut in half from his torso to his head. The thrill of slaughter hit him. With a wide grin on his face, he moved as a black blur, indiscriminately slaughtering anything in sight.
Fifth Form: Blood Lust
A part of the army surrounded him from all directions. Some jumped from above, while others closed in from other directions.
Nior spun on his heel, sweeping his sword aggressively, decapitating the heads of all the incoming enemies.
Sixth Form: Blood Fest
Nior then burst towards the centre of the plains, delivering a curved slash outwards with his sword, cutting the chests of multiple targets. Behind his sword, a shadow trail of a red moon formed.
Seventh Form: Rising Crescent Moon
Jumping high in the air, Nior bent his body, bringing his sword downwards in the middle of multiple soldiers.
Eighth Form: Blood Demon's Descent
Again, Nior found himself surrounded by multiple soldiers in the middle of the plains. He calmly lowered his knees and sword directly and delivered an omnidirectional slash, instantly cutting all enemies so minutely that only a mist of soil remained.
Ninth Form: Soothing Blood
Seeing that only a few sparse groups of soldiers remained on the battlefield, Nior rushed towards each of them one by one.
Tenth Form: Predator's Hunt
Wherever he passed, the soldiers became as nothing but corpses.
Only a minute passed since the 'slaughter' started, but now, the plains were filled only with corpses of mud.
"Marvellous, my lord. What beautiful swordmanship. It is powerful even without magic," Sebas floated down, applauding.
"I need to work on integrating magic into this style so that our future army can learn it. I also need to work on encryptions to prevent them from being used by anyone other than vampires," Nior was deep in thought.
Nearby, Kie was standing stiffly inside the red barrier. Both of her hands were covering her mouth. She came from a simple charcoal-selling family. Witnessing a slaughter like this would shake even veteran soldiers.
But strangely, she was shaking wildly, and a deep blush covered her to the tip of her ears.
'So powerful~' She moaned inwardly.
Of course, any vampire can sense emotions easily, and the strange smell of a liquid from between her legs wasn't helping it either.
Sebas wisely chose to ignore, while Nior could only sigh inwardly.
'I definitely messed up her mind last time. Who could have guessed human brains were so delicate?'